This week I had the opportunity to provide an overview of FirstNet at two homeland security roundtable discussions. At both events, I explained how FirstNet was working with the states and territories to plan for and deploy a public safety broadband network to improve communications for more than 60,000 public safety agencies in more than 3,200 counties.

At the Washington Homeland Security Roundtable today, I focused my presentation on the innovative communications capabilities that the network could provide public safety officials. That led to a dialogue with several roundtable participants about key network planning considerations such as coverage, capacity, and security.

Yesterday, I attended the Institute for Defense and Government Advancement’s (IDGA) Homeland Security Congress in Arlington, VA. The theme of this year’s conference was “Protecting the Homeland through Collaboration and Technology,” and there was no shortage of ideas and examples for how communications can enhance the preparedness and security of the nation.

Most of the discussion on the IDGA panel focused on both the challenges and opportunities of sharing information in an increasingly mobile environment. I also previewed some of the key next steps that FirstNet would be taking to implement the program roadmap that the Board approved last month, including the initial state consultation package that was delivered to all 56 states and territories today.

Also on the panel were representatives from the Department of Homeland Security, former government officials, and information technology executives. Despite having different missions and priorities, we were unified on the need for the private and public sectors to work together to strengthen the nation’s emergency response capabilities.

During our discussion on best practices for coordination and collaboration, I pointed to my experience with the Utah Olympic Public Safety Command for the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics. I talked about how the Command was successful because it brought together representatives from federal, state, and local public safety disciplines and emergency management agencies under one planning structure to coordinate and collaborate on security, prevention, and response strategies for the Olympic Games.

Thanks again to the Washington Homeland Security Roundtable and IDGA for organizing the conferences and inviting FirstNet to participate on the panels. I enjoyed the opportunity to engage in a dialogue about critical homeland security issues and explain how the work that we do at FirstNet supports the safety and security of the nation.

TJ